


Hell In a Handbasket

by Murder_Media



Category: BlazBlue
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Childbirth, F/M, Half-Vampires, Headcanon, Lactation, Lactation Kink, Mating Bond, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pregnancy Kink, Pregnant Sex, References to Knotting, Teen Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, Unwanted Pregnancy, Vampire Headcanons, Vampire Sex, technically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-07-27 10:45:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7614976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Murder_Media/pseuds/Murder_Media
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rachel is pregnant with Ragna's child and both are conflicted by the new arrival's conception. Overtime however Ragna learns to accept the sacrifices and risks that come with raising a child, but Rachel on the otherhand, thanks to hormones and her own inhibitions, fails to acknowledge or even feel happy about her pregnancy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Baby On Board

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Blazblue.
> 
> I know that I wrote about Ragna and Rachel having a child in a one-shot of mine way back when, but that is not related to this fic whatsoever, and is a completely separate, standalone story. I did however take some ideas from that one-shot, so those of you that may have read it will see some things being repeated in this story (or in this chapter specifically).
> 
> This fic in particular will have multiple chapters and will have a plot very different to what I usually like to write about. To be honest, I wanted to write this way later on in the future, but I couldn’t resist the idea of Rachel and Ragna attempting to raise a child together.
> 
> Also as a warning, there will be some rather unsavory scenes/smut that will appear, and may or may not turn some people away because of many some liberties taken regarding how vampire physiology works. 
> 
> You have been warned.

When she found out, all she could do was cry.

She laid a quivering hand on her stomach and fell to her knees, the rugs of her bedroom cushioning her fall as the odor of a much different scent wafted into her nose. That scent was coming from inside of her—from within her womb, and it smelled alive, active and young.

At first she perceived the scent to be a mere trick of her nose, nothing more than her keen sense of smell mistaking one thing from another, but when she felt around her stomach, she only succeeded in proving herself to be horribly wrong.

Her usually taut belly was swollen, a rounded protrusion peeking through her pale skin that thumped and wriggled each time she laid her fingers upon it, the thing easily recognizing her presence and responding positively to the touch. Her eyes bulged from her skull when she finally realized her predicament in full, unable to doubt that something was growing inside her—unable to doubt that that _something_ was a result of her and her mate's irresponsibility.

Rachel Alucard was pregnant.

With _Ragna's_ child.

She felt a wave of nausea wash over her entire being as her mind slowly started to wrap itself around the situation. She was pregnant. She had a pup inside of her bustling with life and nurturing itself from her own body. She produced a potential heir, a feat that she hoped to accomplish later on in her long life. Her legs trembled and her head started to hurt as she thought of a slew of possibilities and scenarios that could happen if anyone sans Ragna and Valkenhayn ever found out about her predicament.

Rachel slowly stood up, mouth slightly ajar and eyes blown open as she struggled to balance on her own two feet. Her lip quivered, her body shook and her nails dug into the palm of her hand, blood dribbling down her fingers and staining her porcelain skin. She could feel the tears building up in her eyes, a sensation that she has not experienced since she had witnessed Ragna's transformation into a black beast for the first time, but unlike that abysmal incident, she struggled to hold these tears back, and felt her heart clench in protest whenever she attempted to do so.

She brought a hand over where her heart was and hobbled her way to the center of her room to reach for her coffin. She awkwardly climbed inside and buried half of her head into a silk pillow. She then felt the tears brim over her eyelids and roll down her cheeks in large dollops, the brackish fluid soaking the pristine fabric of her pillow as a silent whimper left Rachel's lips. As more began to fall, she completely smothered her face into her pillow and cried silently, her groans and sobs muffled and growing ever more quiet as she slowly began to lull herself to sleep.

Not long after did it take Ragna to eventually find her in her state of misery.

As soon as he stepped inside of her room all he could smell was the acrid stench of grief and sorrow, a smell that he'd sooner die from sniffing out than to ever associate with anyone like his lover. He felt an overwhelming sense of worry when he did however, and when he noticed that it was all coming from Rachel's coffin, he ran to her casket at full speed to see if she was alright, but staggered a bit in his step when he smelled something—no—someone else on her.

And it smelled exactly like them.

Ragna cursed under his breath as he rushed to Rachel's bedside and peered into her coffin to check on his mate. He looked over her form, the older girl still sleeping soundly and clad in a form fitting grey and white dress that shaped her body. He sighed in partial relief that she was safe and that no one attacked her, but he was still perturbed by the smell that still hung over her and called for her name. When he was met with no response, the criminal narrowed his eyes and shook her gently to try and get her up but stopped when she rolled over to signal that she was awake. She slowly opened her eyes, her expression sullen and crestfallen rather than mischievous and ebullient when she looked up at him. She mumbled his name and rose a little from her bed to crack her neck before sitting up completely to peer into his eyes.

Her cheeks were puffy and damp, lips dry and chapped, and eyes dull, black and sunken with bags under her lids, all of which tainting her everlasting beauty. Ragna blinked in surprised and brought a hand to her own to grasp it in his palm and finally asked her what the issue was. As soon as he did however she scrunched up her nose in revulsion and furrowed her brows in distress as she hung her head low and woefully shook it from side to side.

Her response was practically coughed up her throat.

"I am with child..."

Ragna stared at her blankly and looked down at their hands, her pale one gripping his tightly as tiny red drops of blood oozed from where her nails dug into her flesh. He should ask how she attained such an injury, but was too shocked and dumbstruck by the revelation at hand to really say anything. His sights drifted to her stomach in disbelief and his nose picked up that scent from earlier—not the smell of tears, but the smell that alerted him in the first place. The faint smell of another soul—another entity—that he suspected were amongst them.

It wasn't any sort of threat like he had initially thought.

It was his unborn child.

His pup.

He heard Rachel sniffle and felt her arms wrap themselves around his neck as she nuzzled her face against his shoulder. He was only vaguely aware of what she was doing the news leaving him in a near catatonic state for his gaze still set on where Rachel's stomach was. He should be happy, he should be ecstatic to hear that he was going to be a father, but all he felt was dread and anxiety. They were both too young, too ill-prepared and had too much on their plate to even fathom the idea of a family. Izanami and Terumi were still at large, and if they were to ever find out about Rachel's pregnancy...

Ragna was taken out of his shock induced tranced when his brain conjured up the wicked memories of the imperator and then imagined the lengths she would probably go through to take the child for her own sick pleasure. He closed his eyes and brought his stiff arms around Rachel's petite frame to give her some sort of comfort and held her there, hugging her tighter when she started to cry. She wailed out questions to him soon after, her mouth running a mile a minute as she kept asking him about what they were to do if it were ever born—how they'd care for it and how'd they ever protect it.

He moved his hand to the back of her head to massage her scalp and pressed a single kiss against her forehead. He whispered words of solace to her and tried shushing her to calm her down. We'll figure something out, he repeated—I'll be there for you, he promised.

It worked more or less but the older girl was still left sniveling against his shirt, her snot and tears staining his jacket, but he didn't care. It was rare to see her cry, and even more rare to see her, quite literally, _bawl her eyes out_. He could imagine that being pregnant would stress her out (he is nearly ready to pass out right now himself) but not to these lengths.

It was then that Rachel started to quiet down, her hysterical weeps tapering to a choked cry. He continued to console her regardless, muttering the same sentence he said to her moments ago over and over again to reassure his distressed mate.

_We'll figure something out..._

* * *

Rachel tried to remember his words throughout the majority of her pregnancy.

During whatever depressive episode or nervous breakdown she would have, she would always think of Ragna's voice telling her that it would all be okay.

That everything will sort itself out.

That everything will be fine.

But she herself could hardly believe such an illusion.

There have been many a time where she was cooped up inside of her coffin, the lid to it closed and her wicked tongue cursing the life that lurked inside of her while she blubbered incessantly. She was both frustrated and nervous during the first few months of its conception, her being blind to the possibilities that laid ahead if she continued carrying this child and all of the concerns that came with it if she did:

What if giving birth caused her complications?

How much time will be needed to raise it?

What if they have to will the pup to someone in the family?

And then there was the bane of both her and Ragna's existence: What was she to do about the imperator and her bastards of henchmen Terumi and Relius?

That was perhaps the main reason why she did not want to have anything to do with being a mother—those three monsters would probably do something manically evil like steal their child away to do lord knows what to it just for the sake of breaking her heart or as a means to have control over her.

She had discussed this setback with Ragna countless upon countless of times during their days alone together in bed and he'd wind up telling her something to ease her worries and then eventually curse at her soon after to get her to shut up.

_Didn't I tell you that we'd figure something out? I'll make sure that nothing happens to us, so stop bitching about it, alright?_

Of course during that one time she could tell that he was unsure of the situation like himself.

But at least he tried to soothe her and at least he was prepared to be a parent.

As crude of a mouth Ragna has on him he always made it his top priority to reassure her safety whenever she was anxious. Those times where she would be locked in her room with no one around her, Ragna always popped up in her head, the words he would say to her days prior partially calming her down and making her think just a little more clearly.

It helped significantly to know that he would always be there for her through thick and thin, hell or high water. She was confident that he was willing to protect their child and was capable of withstanding the consequences that come along with being a father even it did risk his death, but she herself was still scared of becoming a mother. She still had so many doubts... So many insecurities.

But now here she was, four months later and almost at full term—her belly plump and completely distended by the nearly fully grown fetus inside of her. Rachel was not sure how she survived through it all with her constant anxiety and peculiar cravings dragging her down, but she pulled through more or less.

She wouldn't say she was happy, but she was relieved that she would be giving birth soon if not to rid herself of the bodily aches that plagued her. She could tell Ragna and Valkenhayn (in his own sort of way) were eager, but she herself felt indifferent towards the new arrival.

She didn't hate nor did she love the idea that she was going to be a mother.

She still harbored practically little to no feelings towards her offspring.

She tries to think of any positive memories about her pregnancy from months prior, but all she could remember were the panic attacks the child caused, how it disfigured body and how it was sucking up all of her magic just so it can develop properly.

She felt disconnected from it in a way.

It aggravated her.

"Rachel?"

The vampiress shifted her gaze towards the direction of the voice that called her name and saw Ragna's face looking at her with concern. They were both laying together in bed, Ragna talking about something or other, and Rachel only partially listening due to being wrapped in her own thoughts—his mentioning of her name only now bringing her back to reality.

"Yes?" Rachel replied.

"You haven't said anything for a while," he stated. "You feeling alright? It's getting kind of creepy."

"I'm fine. Something was just on my mind is all…"

"Wanna tell me what's up?"

"It's nothing too serious if that is what you are thinking..." she lied through her teeth. No expecting mother should feel this way, but she could only stare at her stomach so much until she just felt complete apathy toward her pup.

"You so sure about that? Fuck, it's not about the baby again, is it?"

Yes, was what she wanted to say, but she didn't want to rehash another discussion. "No. I feel a headache coming along." she attempted to change the subject. "Have you decided on any names yet?"

"None really come to mind," he shrugged. "We don't really know the gender yet, so we just gotta wait and see, you know? No point wasting our time with names if we don't if it's a boy or girl."

She nodded in agreement and was tempted to ask him. "Are you expectant of the pup's arrival?"

"It took awhile, but yeah sort of. I'm not sure how great a parent I'll be, but I'll try if not for your sake."

Rachel felt a slight drop in the middle of her chest. He was ready to raise the thing and she wasn't? She appreciated his sentiment like always, but she couldn't help but feel even more exasperated.

"What about you?" he asked. "You ready to be a mommy?" he smiled down at her.

The older girl failed to be amused by his teasing and placed a hand on her rounded abdomen. She felt the fetus move against her hand and it's heartbeat race followed by a detached, tender feeling that literally came from her gut. The pup itself at least had some comfort and affection towards its provider unlike she was supposed to have towards _it_. Rachel narrowed her eyes and scooted closer to Ragna to place her head on his chest as she felt even more irked by her situation.

"With the difficulties that come with even carrying this thing I would say that I am." Rachel lied once more, she hoping that this does not become too much of a habit.

"I think you'll be a good mother," Ragna petted her hair. "But then I remind myself that a disciplinarian and a mother aren't always interchangeable." he laughed a little.

Rachel said nothing and bit into her lip.

Sadness.

Disappointment.

Anger.

Bemusement.

So many overlapping emotions and she had so little patience to deal with them all. She furrowed her brows in agitation and shimmied her way up her mate's chest to kiss his lips. She shoved her tongue deep into his mouth, the girl's fingers caressing the sides of his neck and taking advantage of his confused state by climbing over his much larger body and grinding herself against his covered privates.

Ragna, perplexed by Rachel's odd behavior, pried her mouth off of his by moving his head. He stared at her with wide eyes and yelled, "What the hell? Rachel, what are you—hmph!"

She kissed him again and moved her hands over his broad chest to brush his nipples with her thumbs. Ragna laid still for a few seconds before regaining his senses once more and taking his lips off of her own by a mere few centimeters to actually talk.

"For fucksakes, Rach, we can't!" he groaned out. She knew Ragna yearned since the start of her pregnancy to partake in intercourse with her, but resisted to do so out of the risk of either hurting her, or their child. The fact that he was resisting her advances for the sake of their "precious" child didn't charm her but only managed to piss her off even more.

"Shut up..." she hissed. "I don't care..." she pulled him in for another kiss and quickly began to disrobe, shrugging off the straps to her loose nightgown and letting it fall over her body and pool at the base of her back. She sat up to rid herself completely of the cursed garment, and pulled it past her ankles to throw it to a random part of her casket. She caught Ragna's staring, and could see desire swirl in his bi-colored eyes.

She could not help but feel a sort of pride that her newly acquired motherly form had this affect on him despite the fact that she herself detested it. It was odd yet common for the male of a mated pair in her culture to be allured by his mate's impregnated body, and Ragna was no exception even if he was a half breed. Her breasts have grown bigger and were engorged by her overproduction of milk, hanging low and heavy off of her chest while her already wide hips and thick thighs grew were ever so larger thanks to an abundance of estrogen and the weight the pup placed on her dainty frame. Indeed, it came to no surprise to her that her womanly appearance would trigger some carnal thirst lurking deep inside of him to come out.

He sat up along with her and and warned her one last time, "I don't wanna hurt you. Are you absolutely sure?"

Rachel grimaced and blinked a few times as she took the time to get her temper under control. "You shall not cause any harm to us... Just..." she breathed in his earthy scent and scowled. "Please, Ragna," she pressed her hands against his chest as an odd, most unpleasant mix of guilt and vexation welled within her breast. She gritted her teeth and prayed that her mate would help her forget for just a moment even if he was ignorant to what he was assisting her with. "Make love to me..."

Ragna sighed in obvious defeat and peppered chaste kisses along her ear and cheek before running his large hands up and down her sides and stopping at her chest to push her breasts together. He felt something warm and wet dribble down his thumbs when he did so and then smelt something sweet waft into his nose. He leaned back onto the mattress and made Rachel follow, moving his hands to her hips to pull her further up his body until her breasts were just a hair's length away from his face. He stared inquisitively at his mate's face before sticking out his long tongue and angling his face just enough to drag the slick muscle over her right nipple to see what reactions he could stir from her. He always wanted to know what her milk tasted like for the longest time now. Rachel hummed in mild pleasure and sat back on her calves, her bottom resting against Ragna's chest as she brought her hand to the back of his head to thread her fingers through his silver locks, the younger man sitting up once more to get comfortable.

He licked her nipple again, tasting the slightest bit of sweetness on his tongue briefly before taking the pert nub completely into his mouth, being careful not to cut her with his fangs. He suckled on it tenderly to catch stray drops onto his long tongue until he felt a steady flow of the warm cream come forth and fill his awaiting mouth. He closed his eyes in exaltation and moved one hand to cup the swelled tit he wasn't drinking from and maneuvered the other behind the ghoul to grab her buttocks. Rachel was moaning in absolute bliss now, she lazily moving her hips against Ragna's torso to alleviate her aching sex and pulling at his hair almost painfully so.

Ragna was in no better state. His cock, now erect and leaking, was straining against his boxers and begged to be let out while he drank from Rachel's teat like a starved babe. He humped mindlessly into the air to try and rid some of the pressure off his loins but was met with no avail. Too aroused to restrain himself, Ragna willed enough self control to release Rachel's nipple with a wet pop before taking his hands off of her body to slide his boxers off and kicked them off his ankles.

Rachel shuffled her way down to his lap and shivered when she felt his large, throbbing member press against her bum. She shivered and felt Ragna lift her up by her haunches while still laying prone on her bed and lined her up against his slick cock. Rachel gripped him tightly and raised herself enough to sink down on to the tip and guide him all the way inside of her. She let go of him when she had half of his length buried in her wet heat and moaned when Ragna grabbed her hips and brought her down so she could take all of his girth.

She bounced up and down on him, placing her hands on Ragna's abdominals to balance herself and felt him thrust deep into her each time she moved down on his member. They kept at the same slow, leisurely pace until either person's release started to build up and their mewls of rapture grew louder. Rachel closed her eyes and went faster, abiding by her body's pleas as the thoughts of her pup's conception was strewn out the window and the love she felt for her mate—this wonderful man—overwhelmed her senses. She was sent spiraling into a world of joyful ignorance—no family, no enemies, no insecurities—just her and Ragna and no one else.

She heard Ragna whimper at how fast she was now going and felt him rub her huge belly and cup her left breast, the much younger man sputtering her name and shouting out words of endearment. Rachel gasped loudly and touched his hand with her own to keep it on her chest, uncaring of the cream that leaked as she switched between bouncing on his cock and rocking his organ inside of her.

Both were ready to come, Rachel's walls clenching and shaking around him as she neared her orgasm and inadvertently sending Ragna into a state of near euphoria. He came soon after and emptied all of the seed he had saved for when she was actually done with her pregnancy inside of her cunt, and felt it all roll down his shaft soon after. It did not take long for Rachel to orgasm as well and when she did, it hit her like a load of bricks. She made a keen like noise and saw sparks go off behind her eyes as she collapsed on Ragna's body. She panted heavily and felt Ragna's limp member slip from her cunt on its own as she stayed enraptured in a post-coitus daze. She then felt Ragna's arms around her back and tears come down her face soon after.

None of what happened relieved her anger or make her feel any better.

She felt worse than she did before.


	2. Delivery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Blazblue.
> 
> Warning: This chapter contains graphic depictions of childbirth along with some primitive birthing practices.

"Is the tea befitting to your tastes, Madame Rachel?"

"Yes, Valkenhayn, I find it quite good. May I request another cup?"

"Of course, madame."

Rachel watched Valkenhayn pick up her empty tea cup and venture out of her study, leaving her to be alone with her thoughts. She spun around in her chair to face the bay window that stretched out from her office and watched the inclement weather outside. Rain fell from dark, flint grey clouds, large and heavy droplets battering delicate petals of black and red roses and sending the frail and colorful leaves into frigid wind. Right now she was supposed to be finishing up some paperwork that has been piling on her desk for the longest time, but she was feeling restless and could not focus on it for long. Her back was hurting and her stomach was having some mild upset—discomforts that she rarely ever got unless she was sick, and that in of itself was almost unheard of.

She eventually came to grow tired of her ailments and had Valkenhayn prepare her batches of peppermint tea to settle her down. It was probably her _precious_ child that was causing her the much unneeded maladies which was not uncommon, but the cramps were more intense today than they usually were...

She felt another stab at her insides and gently rocked back and forth in her chair to ignore the pain, her mind contemplating the events that happened nights prior. It has been no more than a day or two since she was last intimate with Ragna and has been hopelessly frustrated ever since. The sex was suppose to ease her tensions. It was supposed to make her forget and allow her to enjoy the last remaining moments of solitude that she would have with Ragna, but it only managed to annoy her. It didn't make her feel happy—none of it even made her feel the least bit relaxed.

It only served as a brutal reminder that she was, and will be, a mother and she could not and will never escape from that fact no matter how hard she tried. She and Ragna would have to dedicate a good portion of their lives raising a brat instead of tending to more grievous matters that threatened their way of life. Regardless of whether or not she had support from her mate, in hindsight she should have given in and graced the thing to someone in the family and not have it anywhere near her. Or better yet, she could have done the permanent solution, and just terminate it all together—it would be much better than to endure the emotional and physical strain of following through with the pregnancy.

She wanted to—she really, really did want to go to some human clinic to have an abortion done, but Ragna, being the naive little dunce he was, made her think otherwise by saying that it was too late and that he didn't trust a doctor to get rid of a _vampiric_ child and inadvertently cause her harm. She remembered that day vividly and how they argued back and forth for hours until Ragna finally managed to convince her to carry the thing to full term—the younger man just telling her that they would just have to throw caution to the wind and see what happens.

Back then she had to make do and trust his insight—just believe that he'll make things alright again—but now she just wished she listened to her conscience and gotten rid of the pup when she had the chance. That fool had no clue what the thing was doing to her and she should have full right what to and what **not** to do with her own damn child.

Her brow twitched in annoyance when her stomach churned once more. All of this reminiscing was making her feel queasy, and if she persisted digging up old memories she'll probably pop an aneurysm. She silently hoped that Valkenhayn would get here soon with her drink, but lo and behold, almost on cue, she heard her her door open and the smell of menthol drift through the air. She turned back around in her chair to face him and sighed in relief when she saw him walk to her desk with a large pot of tea in his left hand and an empty teacup in his right. He set the cup down on the wooden surface and then hung the pot over it to pour her beverage inside and filled it to the brim.

His eyes narrowed suddenly whilst he did this however, his nose picking up an alteration in his mistress' scent and prompting him to steal a few glances her way.

His staring did not go unnoticed by the Rachel's eyes regardless of how inconspicuous he tried to be, and she arched a brow when he continued to peer down at her. "Is something troubling you, Valkenhayn?" she asked.

"Please excuse me, madame," Valkenhayn stopped pouring her tea and bowed his head apologetically, still glowering at her belly. "But...your scent has become quite peculiar..."

Rachel picked up her cup by its handle and held it to her lips. "Oh? Are you insinuating that I smell repugnant?"

Valkenhayn jumped a bit at her comment and the ghoul could not help but snicker—it was always humorous to watch him get so flustered.

"Well... I, I did not mean it in that sort of way." The old man fixed his collar briefly before clearing his throat. "I meant that as soon as I walked in I noticed a dramatic change in your smell... And your pup's as well."

"Really now?" Rachel sipped at her tea and cocked her head at his statement. That was unusual. Valkenhayn's sense of smell was much keener than her or Ragna's and the fact that he smelled something so strange had put her in a state of mild alarm, but she was not overly concerned about it. "I shall acknowledge that that is very bizarre," she said. "But..." Who knows—maybe some unknown force decided to have mercy on her and make her miscarriage.

What joy that would be.

Rachel shook off the macabre thought and continued. "It's scent has been changing for sometime now, so it is most likely nothing to worry about—" Rachel flinched when an odd wrench in her gut shut her mouth right up and made her nearly choke on her tea. At first she tried to disregard it and attempted to finish talking, but felt another sting course throughout her body and run down her spine that prompted her to place her teacup down on the table and sink back in her chair. The young girl clutched at her blouse as pins and needles traveled from her gut and went straight to her womb, gasping when she heard...no... _felt_ something literally burst inside of her.

Valkenhayn's eyes widened when he saw his distraught mistress and instantly set the pot of tea on her desk to walk around her desk and crouch down next to her side. "Madame, are you alright?" he asked frantically.

Rachel let out a stifled cry and clutched at her butler's suit in pain. "Valkenhayn..." she muttered hoarsely. "I think my water just—" She stiffened and gritted her teeth when something wet and sticky gushed from between her legs and soaked through her clothes—her insides cramping and the pup suddenly shifting against her pelvis.

The butler needed not for Rachel to finish her sentence and scooped her up in his arms promptly, the piscine stench that her discharge emitted bothering him none as he lifted her out of her chair and dashed out of her office at break neck speed, being careful not to put any pressure on her stomach.

She needed to get to her room **immediately**.

Rachel rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes to distract herself from both the pain and the liquid that trickled down her thighs until she remembered that Ragna was not present at the castle. He returned to Earth this afternoon to tend to whatever business that he had to take care of and would not be back until early dawn. She frowned and turned up her lip. He had to be here—he **needed** to be here—it was obligatory for the sire to be present during his mate's delivery so he could assist in birthing his pup.

She laid her hand atop Valkenhayn's wrist and tugged at his sleeve. "Ragna..." she whispered. "You need to get Ragna..."

Valkenhayn held her close as he made a beeline down a corridor. "I shall have Nago and Gii take care of it." he replied. "I will ensure that the boy gets here on time." he made a sharp turn around a corner and slowed only a little when he saw Rachel's bedroom door come into view. He stopped in his tracks once he was close and opened her door before rushing towards her coffin.

He opened the lid to the casket and settled Rachel inside on her back slowly, the girl clawing at her bedsheets when she felt another surge of pain. Valkenhayn lifted her head briefly to nestle a pillow under it and sighed—she was not suppose to be laying prone on her back during labor, but he needed her to stay like this for the time being if not to prolong any contractions that were sure to come.

"I will be back posthaste, madame." Valkenhayn quickly told her. "I am going to go inform the pests of the situation and acquire the items necessary to deliver your child. I will come back to undress you later if that is permitted."

She nodded her head and moaned. "Please hurry..."

* * *

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no! Where could he possibly be!?" Nago cried.

"Mister Bloodedge! Where are you?" Gii called out.

Nago and Gii searched all over the humble city of Yabiko for Ragna—the odd pair scampering about the evening streets sifting through sewers, stores, restaurants and even a few garbage cans, but failing see any criminal in sight. Nago took his head out of an empty box and looked up at Gii who hovered above him in distress, the chubby red bat just about ready to bawl his eyes out when he realized his cohort did not see any white haired dhampyre.

"Ya didn't find him yet!?"

"Not so far, no!" he shuffled out of the cardboard box. "If we can't find him on the ground than we need to look for him by air!" Nago crawled below Gii and presented him his tail.

Gii stared at him in shock. "Ya want me to pick you up? But I can barely even hold up the princess!" he whined.

"Just do it!" Nago yelled. "Or do you **want** Valkenhayn to hang, draw and quarter us?"

Gii felt his skin crawl at the thought and flew to Nago's tail defeated. "Just try not to move too much, will ya?" he set his feet into his companion's fur and lifted the both of them high into the sky, the shapeshifters garnering the attention of many a civilian in the process.

They flew over the dark town, Gii flapping his wings as hard as he could while Nago turned his paws into a pair of binoculars.

"Do ya see anything down there?" Gii inquired.

"Hm..." Nago scanned the area for any peculiar looking individuals until he saw a figure with messy silver mane walk into an alleyway.

"There!" the cat pointed at the figure with a claw. "It has to be him! I'll cry if it isn't!"

"I sure hope yer right..." Gii flew down to the spot that Nago pointed at and set him down on the ground, hope welling up in his tiny body when he saw a distinctive red jacket on the person's body. "Mister Bloodedge~! Is that you?" he called.

Ragna stopped in his tracks to peer over his shoulder and see what high pitched voice was calling him, and blinked in surprise when he saw Rachel's slaves following him and not being accompanied by their master.

"Nago? Gii? The hell are you two doing here?"

Oh thank the heavens!" Nago crawled to Ragna's foot while Gii perched himself on the cat's back. "We've been looking **everywhere** for you!"

"Looking for me?" He turned to face them, but not without shooting the alleyway a look—he was supposed to be meeting up with someone right now to discuss a "negotiation" of sorts and really did not have the time to be dealing with these runts. He sighed in agitation however and decided it best to hold off this little meeting to see what they wanted—it was rare for them to come outside without Rachel so whatever they had to say must be at least a little important.

"What do you two want? I'm kinda busy right now, you know."

"It's urgent that you come back to the castle with us, Mister Bloodedge!" the chubby bat pleaded.

"Wait, why?" Ragna eyed the duo suspiciously. "Did something happen?"

"It's the princess!" Nago shouted. "She's going into labor!"

The half breed felt his heart stop in his chest and his ears warm up at the revelation. "SHE'S WHAT!?"

* * *

Valkenhayn was never ignorant of Rachel and Ragna's relationship—the sounds of their coupling above his bed chambers at night reassured Valkenhayn that they both had a very _healthy_ love life—he just failed to truly accept (for almost an entire year no doubt) their union thanks to a variety of factors. Rachel was regal while Ragna was a plebeian; she was smart and levelheaded while he was blunt and impulsive; she was a full fledged vampire while he was a mere halfling.

They were two sides of two different coins, and it baffled Valkenhayn how such an elegant and feared effervescent beauty like Rachel could ever fall in love with such a beast. He always suspected that it would be a cousin or a family friend to have the privilege of spending the remainder of their days with a powerful sorceress like Rachel, but instead of picking a worthy male of equal power and prestige she picks... _Ragna_? He'd sooner believe dirt to have a better chance with Rachel than him of all things...

But it was a funny thing, cosmic irony, and never in his old life did he expect to find himself in a situation where he would have to deliver _the delinquent's_ child.

Valkenhayn sat outside Rachel's coffin on an elevated stool, busying himself with cleaning the goopy mess that trailed down the vampiress' legs. He dabbed Rachel's perspiring skin with a wet cloth and had her situated in the proper position to whelp her pup—the girl on her hands and knees and naked from head to toe save for a blanket strewn over her hips. He dragged the cool rag over her thighs and privates before dunking it in a basin of cold water by his foot and wringing it in an empty vat next to it before placing it next to the girl. He proceeded to adjust the towels and cotton that were placed below her knees to catch any leaking blood and amniotic fluid that was dribbling out of her and stood up to place a hand on her stomach. He had a general idea of what he was doing since he helped deliver Rachel herself many centuries ago.

"Have any contractions occurred for you yet, madame?" he asked.

"Yes," the vampiress swallowed a lump of drool in her mouth and tucked her face away in a stray pillow. "It hurts so much..." Rachel struggled to stay still on her mattress and nearly fell over on her side from how bad the muscle spasms were until Valkenhayn noticed and moved his hand off her belly to caress her hip and keep her steady.

Valkenhayn felt his heart break at seeing how defenseless and miserable his mistress was and moved back to his seat. "I know it does, madame, but you must stay still... At least until the boy arrives." he scowled to himself when he mentioned Ragna and said, "Until then it is important for you that you start to push."

Rachel listened to his words and slowly started to sway her hips back and forth, letting gravity help aide her in guiding the pup out, but stopped moving when a particularly harsh contraction raked through her stomach and forced a yelp out of her.

Valkenhayn heard her cry and placed a hand at the base of her spine to encourage her to keep moving. "It is crucial that we get the pup out of you as soon as possible, so you need to rock your hips. Ragna will come in due time." He rubbed Rachel's back and cursed her mate's name. If Valkenhayn knew that his mistress would be in this much pain during childbirth he would have geld Ragna when he had the chance. Vampires were supposed to have smooth and easy deliveries with little to no difficulty, but Rachel was tiny and still so young for her age to be doing something of this caliber. She was going to push out a child that will be larger then most mortal children, and because of her small stature size, it was inevitable that she will have tears and cuts afflicting her after this was all over.

"Oh God..." Rachel sucked in air when she felt another contraction and started pushing, the ghoul bearing down on her pillow and screaming bloody murder when the pup squeezed past her cervix and slid about an inch down her birth canal. She cursed at the uncomfortable shift in her uterus and proceeded to shout out more foreign obscenities when the pup decided to move even further, the swears landing on Valkenhayn's ears and making him silently wish that he knew not of what each curse meant.

"AUGH!" Rachel wailed. "What is taking Ragna so long!? I swear to all that is holy that I am going to gut that cretin like swine after this is over! AH!" her eyes bulged out of her skull when she felt the fetus rotate inside of her.

Valkenhayn cringed at how shrill Rachel's voice was and snuck an arm between her legs to hold her stomach once more and push onto the large lump. "I am right here, madame. Only a few more pushes to go and we'll be done." he tried to calm her down but he could feel his own patience wearing thin—Nago and Gii better not have gotten lost along the way finding him.

_SMASH!_

The werewolf jerked upwards when he heard the shattering of a vase from outside Rachel's room and turned his head towards her door.

" _Mister Bloodedge, watch where yer goin'!"_

" _You must calm down, Ragna! The princess will have our heads if she were to see the damage you're causing!"_

" _Does it honestly look like I give a shit right now!? Where the hell is she!?"_

Valkenhayn heard more pots shatter, the rapid thumping of steel toed boots running across mahogany floors growing louder and louder until he saw Rachel's door swing open and reveal Ragna standing at the entrance looking dazed and harrowed. He mumbled her name under his breath and slammed the door on Nago and Gii's faces when they attempted to get a good look inside and ran next to Valkenhayn, the lad shrugging off his jacket and setting his sword on the ground.

"I hope this is not what you young people call being fashionably late." the werewolf frowned, frustrated beyond belief.

"I don't need you riding my ass on this one, old man." Ragna spat while kicking off his boots. "I had shit to do." He was about to go and walk to where Rachel was, but grimaced when he noticed Valkenhayn with his suit off, sleeves rolled up and gloves stretched over his hands. "Wait a minute... **You're** the one delivering my kid?"

Valkenhayn gave him a black look. "Naturally."

"Can I ask why?"

"I have experience and I am the only one Madame Rachel can trust for such a ritual. If you have any issue pertaining to the matter I'm afraid that I lack the energy to truly care about what you think."

Ragna felt his eye twitch and scoffed. "Smart ass..." he grumbled. He swiftly came to Rachel's side and kneeled down to kiss her lips.

"It's about time you came..." she panted.

"Sorry, I was in the middle of something..." He nuzzled her cheek and furrowed his brow. "How are you holding up?"

"I have been swaying on my hands and knees in pain for the past two hours..." she growled. "How do you think I am doing...?"

Ragna was surprised at her choice of words and wanted to snap back at her, but reminded himself that she was enduring the stress of labor and that she was not in the mood for a lot of things right now. "Alright, alright... You don't have to bite my head off."

"Shut up and just get into the damned casket... My arms are getting tired."

Ragna rolled his eyes and climbed inside to sit in front of Rachel and support her body against his stomach. For a few minutes Rachel lied stationary against Ragna's body and kept on moving nothing but her hips until she felt her muscles twitch once more. She braced herself for the pain that was to come by holding onto her mate's shirt in a vice grip and pushed with everything she had. Thick blood and viscous mucus pooled from out of her vagina as the pup slid down by another inch and breached her opening, the top of its head stretching her out uncomfortably.

"Oh my God...!" she sighed. "Valkenhayn, hurry up and get this thing out of me!"

"Jesus christ..." Ragna embraced Rachel in a hug to try and ease her. "It's gonna be fine, Rach. You're doing good." he looked at Valkenhayn and frowned. "How far along is she?" he asked.

"The pup is just beginning to crown. It should not take very long now."

Ragna beamed at the news and patted Rachel's head. "Oh shit, you hear that, baby? Just a little bit more and it'll all be over."

Rachel barely registered what Ragna had said and nodded dumbly—exhaustion creeping up on her and a headache creeping up on her. She was running on fumes now, her body growing weak from pushing so hard and the scarce amounts of magic she had that kept her awake diminishing. It'd be a miracle if she were to get through this without blacking out.

Valkenhayn made quick work with his fingers and spread Rachel's labia apart with his thumb and index and, with his hand still caressing her stomach, placed more pressure on it. He saw more of the head come out from the fleshy opening and stretch Rachel out even more, the skin around her vagina and perineum tearing and prompting her yells to become long and sharp. He made a face and shook his head—he did not want to put her through anymore anguish, but he had to do what he had to do ensure both her and the child's survival.

"It pains me to say this, madame, but you are going to have to push at least two more times..."

Rachel stayed silent for a moment before making a noise of affirmation, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.

Valkenhayn then set his sights on Ragna and said with a firm voice, "And I need **you** to turn her on her back once this child is out of her. Understand?"

Ragna nodded. "Sure thing."

Valkenhayn wiped some sweat off his forehead with his wrist and set a hand over the emerged scalp. "I need you to push on my mark,"

Rachel breathed deep through her nose to take in as much air as possible and heard Valkenhayn count down from three. She strained her muscles to its fullest once he reached the final number and held on to Ragna as hot spurts of slimy discharge shot out of her and felt half of the pup's body worm its way out of her. The ghoul whimpered in distress and nearly fainted when the sensation of literally being _torn apart_ overwhelmed her and willed whatever strength she had left to push again, the living mass inside of her coming out with a sickening squelch and plopping down in Valkenhayn's awaiting arms. Rachel groaned loudly in a mix of agony and relief, and felt Ragna kiss her cheeks and praise her as he gently, yet briskly rolled her on her back and rested her head against his thigh. She soon closed her weary eyes when she realized her job was done and panted—fatigue and bloodlost finally taking its toll and darkness finally consuming her as it sent the vampiress spiraling into dreamless sleep, the men around her too preoccupied with her newborn pup to really notice.

Typical...

Ragna could hardly move—he could barely even breathe—everything was like an illusion when he saw his child being held firmly by Valkenhayn, the old man grabbing a soft towel to wipe away the membrane that the pup was concealed in so that it could breathe properly. Once it was thoroughly cleansed, the pup gurgled audibly and soon started crying, Ragna's heart swelling when he heard tiny chirps spring from its little mouth instead of high pitched wails. It then kicked its limbs wildly, seeming very displeased that it was still stuck in Valkenhayn's arms instead of with its mother, and cried even louder. The werewolf examined the child closely for a few more moments before rising from his seat for the first time in hours and placing the still flailing babe on Rachel's stomach so that it could crawl to her breast. Ragna gaped in awe when he witnessed the child stop thrashing about once it came in contact with Rachel and watched it instinctively shimmy its way to its mother's chest to feed. With its eyes wired shut, it moved its head left and right as if it were looking for something until it felt a nipple brush over its plump lips. The pup made a chittering noise and moved closer to its mother's teat before taking it completely into its small mouth, the little thing helping itself to some much needed milk.

Ragna took the chance to view his child in its full glory, feeling nothing but complete adoration wash over him when he saw it up close and prayed to every deity in existence that this wasn't just a cruel dream. The skin, once a ruddy pale red color from being covered in viscera, was now alabaster white, while its fluffy hair sported a platinum color with minute grey roots now that its mane was cleansed of any offending blood. He licked his dry lips and raised a curious hand, moving it over the child's head to touch its shining locks, but stopped in his tracks—afraid of disturbing its feeding or even harming it.

Valkenhayn, who was now back in his seat and tending to the afterbirth that leaked out of Rachel, looked on amused and said, "It is okay for you to touch her. You are the father after all."

Ragna blinked when he heard the pronoun. "Her? You mean it's...a girl?"

"Through and through." Valkenhayn replied.

The criminal could hardly believe it, his chest tightening at the news, and a newfound sense of love that he had never knew before warming up his cold face. It was not one of romantic or familial love, but one that was nearly unconditional. Ragna smiled dreamily and went on to stroke his baby girl's face with a tentative finger, the stout infant flinching and cooing at the contact, but paid it no heed, and continued suckling from Rachel—she too hungry to particularly care about who or what was touching her.

Ragna let out a laugh, one filled with pride and mirth, to distract himself from the overwhelming joy that threatened to turn into tears. He was finally a dad—a dad to this bundle of life who, from what he could tell, resembled him in more ways than one. From her oval shaped face to her pale hair, she was beginning to look like a carbon copy of her father.

She was beautiful.

He stopped touching his daughter's cheek so she may eat in peace and rubbed his eyes once he felt some much unneeded "water" well behind them. He was beyond happy and shall record this day as one of the few that he'll cherish in his turbulent life, but he was still a man and didn't want to blubber in front of his mate and especially not her butler.

Valkenhayn saw his actions and simpered. "What a rare sight to see..." the old man was done cleaning up Rachel and was now picking up dirtied blankets and towels, putting them all in one pile. "Is the world's most renown terrorist crying over a child?"

"Shut up..." Ragna said quietly. "I got something in my eyes..." he stopped rubbing his eyes to look down at Rachel and see her own reaction to their daughter's birth, but felt panic when he noticed that she was unconscious.

"Do not be alarmed," Valkenhayn noticed Ragna's face turn from jovial to anxious and reassured him. "She has merely passed out is all. It is typical for her kind, and she will probably not wake up until tomorrow evening." The butler sighed as he took the messy pile of fabric under his arm and stood up. "But even so...for her to have such a nubile body, she was still far too young to be giving birth at her age. I do hope that you are aware of that."

Ragna felt just a tad guilty and ran his fingers through Rachel's disheveled hair. "I know, I know. I didn't think that she would actually faint from it all... But she's going to be okay though, right?"

"Overall, yes. I have stitched her wounds closed, and the most she will feel is minor discomfort, but she will still be substantially weak for some time." he walked to the bedroom door and turned the knob. "Until then it is now your responsibility to care for her and your daughter until she can fully recover."

"Me?" Ragna could not help but ask. He would gladly take care of Rachel without hesitation, but it was odd that Valkenhayn, the man who viewed him as nothing more than a filthy slug who dirtied everything he touched, was entrusting his beloved mistress to the likes of him.

"If were able to," Valkenhayn began. "I would take your place and tend to madame Rachel when needed, but I'm afraid that me being near her will only confuse your child." he set his eyes on the tiny girl. "She is aware of who her mother is, but she is ignorant of her father. She must recognize her true sire's scent given how she cannot hear or see anything yet, and my presence will only interfere in that matter." he finally walked out of the room and closed the door behind him, but not before smiling and muttering a quick "congratulations".

Ragna was now left alone with his mate and child and listened to Rachel's and their daughter's steady breathing as he stared at the door. Valkenhayn, even though he congratulated him, looked as though he were in a rush to leave—like he couldn't stay for long. He didn't even bother to at least touch the girl outside of cleaning her. It was weird, and it addled Ragna as to why he left so quick, but he decided not to pry and just enjoyed the company that was his new family. He took Rachel's head off of his lap to lay it against a pillow and climbed out of her coffin to stand up and continue admiring his pup who was now sleeping contently on her side. He grinned from ear to ear, and took this viable opportunity to actually hold his daughter. Careful not to rouse her, Ragna slipped his hands under her body picked her up, placing the tiny thing against his broad chest. He looked her over for perhaps the one hundredth time tonight and then sunk down to the floor, sitting cross legged and kissing her forehead with a soft peck. She was so big, yet so very helpless. She could not hear nor see nor talk and needed her parents. No one could protect her sans the ones who brought her into the world—she had to rely on no one but her mother and no one but her father.

She had to rely on **his** protection.

He kissed her again and nudged his nose against her soft cheek, holding her closer to him than before.

He'll always be there for her.

And he'll destroy anyone who tries to hurt her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excuse me while I go dunk my hands in bleach to wipe away the filth. It took forever to write this.


	3. Julie And Candy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Blazblue.
> 
> I have very mixed feelings about this chapter, but hopefully it's still enjoyable.

Ragna groaned wearily as he tossed his head to and fro, his restless mind waking him up yet again to check on the newborn that rested on his chest. He sighed audibly as he looked down at her unconscious little body, the young man bringing his hand above her scalp to drag his thumb over her silky hair and across her forehead. Instead of putting her back in the coffin with her mother where she belonged, Ragna decided to keep her with him even while he slept. She has been alive for no more than a couple of hours and already he's grown wildly attached to her—he was prepared to do anything for this girl to keep her safe and happy, and there is no force dangerous or powerful enough to tear him away from his daughter. He'll make sure to keep her safe, her mother safe, and this whole family from all and everything that threatened their way of life.

He smiled lovingly at his daughter and stroked her back until he noticed her move about on his body and lift up her head. She yawned and stretched out her chubby little arms and legs briefly, her nose twitching as she smelled the air around her as if she were trying to sniff out something. Ragna stared down at her curiously and watched her press her face against his shirt and bite into the fabric as if it were a nipple, and laughed when he saw her pull her head back almost immediately in revulsion when she tasted stale cloth instead of warm flesh. The pup whined in frustration not a second later and tried to squirm her way off of Ragna's body when she realized that he was not a reliable source of milk and almost succeeded, but was quickly stopped from doing anything of the sort when her father placed a hand against her back to keep her on him. She whined in response at the sudden restriction in movement and almost tried to wail at a desperate attempt to get whatever was on her off, but was hushed by Ragna's soft sounding voice soon after.

"There, there, you're gonna get fed..." Ragna sat up and held her against his chest while he cradled her head with his other hand. He then sat up to stand on his feet and stretch out the kinks in his back before turning around to look at Rachel's coffin and view her unconscious form. He slowly crept towards the sleeping vampire and tiptoed to her bedside to quickly but carefully place his daughter over Rachel's stomach and let the large babe crawl her way up her mother's body. He waited for his daughter to latch onto a teat and feed from her breast to make sure she received the nutrition she needed before looking over at Rachel to take in her haggard and disheveled appearance. He frowned despairingly at the state of her current form for it was a stark difference to how she usually looked—her hair was messy and tousled, soft blonde locks sticking out from all sides on her head while bags marred the skin under and around her eyes. A part of him still could not believe that her giving birth could take so much out of her, yet a part of him somehow knew that it would leave some lasting effect on her. What Valkenhayn said was true—she _was_ too young to be doing anything like this, and the effects of her actually birthing a child was not thankfully life threatening, but was enough to leave her frail and faint.

Ragna shook his head as he crouched down on his knees and scooted over to his mate's side, the criminal smiling dolefully when he brought his hand over her cheek to touch her smooth skin. "You did so good last night, baby..." He moved a strand of hair away from her closed eyes and petted her face. "I wish you could see her..." He checked on their daughter from the corner of his eye and beamed. "She's so beautiful..."

Rachel still remained unconscious, her raspy, uneven breaths the only audible thing coming out of her mouth. He was undeterred by her silence however, and continued talking to her as if she were actually awake, trying to reassure himself that she was going to be okay.

"I really didn't think that we'd have a daughter, but I love her already. Probably something you wouldn't want to hear, but she looks just like me." He laughed quietly. "I guess we know where she got her looks from."

If Rachel were currently awake he would've either received a snide comment or a playful remark on her behalf, the palm of her hand either swatting swiftly against the back of his head or gently scratching his scalp, but he saw nor heard nor felt anything of the sort. His lover still laid prone on the bed, her chest rising and falling with each exhausted breath she took as their child fed quietly from her breast. It was then that Ragna realized as he continued inspecting Rachel's appearance that this was probably the weakest that he has ever seen her. Never has she looked so small and so delicate—so completely helpless to the dangers around her. Ever since he was a boy, Ragna had always thought that Rachel was an imposing figure—an all powerful creature of such considerable knowledge and strength that only fools would ever dare to challenge—but never in his life would he ever see himself associating Rachel of all things with "weak" until now.

Ragna let out a tired sigh as he lowered his head to capture her chapped lips in a chaste kiss. He hated it so much, the fact—the thought even—that this girl, his woman, could do so very little for herself besides lay there and sleep, a potential victim to the danger around her despite how close he was to her. Of course it was not like there was any danger at the castle to begin with, but he knew that when she were to ever wake up from her slumber and venture outside of her manor, it will take some time before all of her power came back to her, and that is when she'll be considerably susceptible. She is going to need all the protection he could give her while she remained like this. If she could see him now... She would be chewing him out for worrying too much about her, but he just couldn't help it.

Ragna kept his mouth firmly pressed against Rachel's for a little while longer, his tongue touching her lips to taste her flesh before ending the kiss to lean his forehead tenderly against her own. "God, I hope you wake up soon," He said. "At least so I know that you're okay..." He heard her groan a little at the contact and took it upon himself to take her small hand into his larger one and squeeze it gently. She said nothing but he could feel her fingers twitch just slightly in his palm and heard her breathing grow more steady.

It encouraged Ragna to continue.

"I only say it so much, but this is as good a time as any..." He laughed and hesitated for a moment. "You really don't know," He began. "How much I love you, Rachel. I really do."

It was rare for him to say those three simple yet powerful words because of how saccharine the endearment was to him, but right now, he needed to get it out there. He loved Rachel more than anything else in this world, possibly even more than his master, and could not be anymore happier that the feeling was mutual.

A brief and airy chuckle left him when he noticed her begin to move a little bit more as soon as he said them, and blurted out in slight embarrassment, "Of course you would hear that and not everything else I said. Making me all sappy and crap..." He joked a little and kissed her again. "You know I'm not into this kinda shit, Rach, but...I guess I just need to put it out there." His eyes softened as he lifted his head to lay feathery pecks on every part of her face that his mouth could reach.

"I love you..." He said over and over again as if it were a sacred mantra. "I love you, I love you, I love you..."

The lids of Rachel's eyes fluttered when Ragna's lips brushed past her cheek for perhaps the umpteenth time, her fingers wriggling and toes curling as the young vampire slowly started to awaken from her deep sleep. She moved her head from side to side lazily to shake off whatever was touching her face and moaned wearily as she finally opened both of her eyes. Her vision was blurry and uncoordinated, effectively prompting Rachel to try and focus on anything that was in front of her until her eyes fell upon the man who stood above her, his expression a discernible mix of shock, glee and extreme interest.

"...Rachel..." He called, his thumb coming to rest beneath her eye. "Are you awake...?"

"Wha..." Rachel blinked a few times to rid herself of the double-vision that still plagued her sight before attempting to rise a little from her place on the mattress, but felt Ragna stop her from doing so.

"Hey, hey, hey..." He placed his hand on her shoulder to keep her still. "Take it easy for a bit... You're still so tired."

Rachel still felt somewhat delirious, an aching pain in both her head and nether regions not allowing the vampire the concentration she needed to piece together the events that happened before she had passed out. She brought her fingers to her face to pinch the bridge of her nose, and asked Ragna with a frustrated sigh, "What happened...?"

He relayed it to her as gently as he could. "You delivered last night... Remember?"

"D-Deliver...?" Rachel shook her head to get rid of the fatigue that afflicted her,and ran her fingers through her hair. She tried making sense of her situation through the fog that clouded her mind, and felt something small and warm wiggle about on her chest that took her out of her thoughts. She looked down to see what was on top of her, and frowned soon after, memories from the night before bombarding her head in one clear swoop.

It was the ever present, forever existing child that she had brought into the world—a stark white rather large thing that cooed indignantly at its mother's constant movement. It smelled of both her and Ragna's scent with just a tinge of blood while its fluffy daffodil hair was a few shades lighter than her own. It was like her in so many ways in both scent and appearance, but Rachel could not help but feel a sense of overwhelming emptiness towards this child instead of the joyful pride that any typical mother should feel.

Ragna smiled, completely oblivious to Rachel's mood, and perceived her constant ogling of the pup as one of bewildered surprised, and took the time to gently massage their child's back. "She's pretty, isn't she?"

The vampire gazed down at the child with indifference and asked with little interest, "...It is a girl?"

"Yeah," Ragna responded. "We have our own baby girl to look after now... I still can't believe it after all this time."

Rachel ignored the other's ramblings momentarily to stare at the child some more. She expected as such that it would be female—it smelled a little like one and was smaller than a newborn male—and she could tell from a mile away that Ragna would be significantly more attached to her than any doting new father should be. Every word that he uttered currently was coated in nothing but saccharine affection, optimistic promises of a bright future, and a grandiose life of praise and virtue for this young girl. It irked Rachel to no end considering how she currently could not even fathom a pleasurable or even bearable existence with this child, so she tuned Ragna out of her head and opted to examine her daughter even further.

She rested a slightly hesitant yet experimental hand on top of her head to pet her soft hair, testing to see if the child would readily accept or reject her mother's touches—if she would allow the touch and coo for more, or whine plaintively at the contact and attempt to move away from it. The older woman hoped that the latter would happen, that this pup would not want to have anything to do with her and sense her mother's displeasure, but Rachel knew that such a thing would never happen. A newborn's love was unconditional once they tasted their mother's milk, and this girl shall stay attached to Rachel once she was old enough to hear and see.

Which is why Rachel was not at all surprised when she saw the little girl move her head against the palm of her hand, her lips still firmly wrapped around her nipple as she turned her head just a little to feel more of her mother's warmth on her face. The simple gesture was enough to stab a little at Rachel's heart, the infant's innocent show of affection reminding Rachel of how the child moved within her when she was still inside the womb—how her developing little body shifted against where her hand was each time she touched her stomach.

Rachel held a lamental expression on her face as she let her head fall back on her pillow. Ragna was happy for their child, the child was happy for her mother, and what did she feel? Nothing but sheer frustration. She couldn't feel any sort of joy—any sort of _exuberance_ —that would prompt her to smile at her mate and offspring adoringly so. She felt just like how she did six months prior—empty, hollow, despondent...

She didn't love what came out of her.

"Rach...?" Ragna called out to the vampire and effectively brought her out of her musings.

Rachel gave Ragna no response and instead turned her head to the side, her mood worsening when he kept trying to get an answer out of her.

"Rachel?" He did it one last time, his typical scowl replacing his once elated features as his mood grew from delighted to annoyed. "Hey, I'm talking to you here!"

" **I am not deaf...** " Rachel bitterly replied, her brows narrowed and lips upturned into a snarl. For the first time in a while the vampire found herself neither in the mood nor even-tempered enough to deal with Ragna and is mouth right now and opted to lie to him to shut him up for once. "Leave me be right now, boy. I'm still weary, and your presence is only agitating my health..." She kept silent for a moment before nudging her face deeper into her pillow. "I will not say it again..."

Ragna must have heard the distinct shift in her tone of voice for he was left completely aphonic for a solid few seconds. This made Rachel, who was both irritated and maddened, mentally prepare herself for the earful she would without a doubt receive from him.

"I don't understand..." He seethed, his hands balling into fists as mild anger began to take over. "You've been like this ever since you got knocked up—all bitching, and moaning, and whining, and not telling anyone what the fuck your problem is..." He grabbed her shoulder and forced her to look his way by turning half of her body to him, the criminal being mindful of their child and trying not to jostle her unnecessarily. Rachel stared at Ragna while he stared back, his expression unreadable. "It's always been like this with you..." He growled. "You never like telling me shit until it's the very last fucking minute, 'till I'm at my wits end, and have to nearly beg you for an answer." He visibly started to grit his teeth and moved his hand under the covers to grip Rachel's and hold it against his chest.

"But even after we got together, even after I started to know you more and understand you better, you still acted so reserved even to this day... And it's with **me** of all people..." He gripped her hand tighter and cried out, "What the hell has gotten into you, Rachel? Please, for the love of God, can you just tell me already? I'm sick of playing twenty questions with you, dammit, and I want to help the best way I can. I've never been so pissed about how quiet you were in my life up until now...!" Ragna took a shuddering breath and lowered his head, his elbows digging into Rachel's mattress as he brought their enclosed hands away from his chest to lean his forehead against them. "I love you, but I just wish you were honest with me for **once**..." He raised his head only by a fraction of an inch to show himself to her, Rachel noticing a sheen of wetness glimmer in his green and ruby eyes. "Please just tell me—tell me what it is, Rachel, and I promise I'll do everything I can to help... I promise..."

The vampire stared wide eyed at her lover and took in his words, her heart swelling with guilt and replacing the self-pity that once overflowed it. The only other man besides her father who she has ever deemed worthy enough to call an equal was venting to her about how _her_ poor attributes, about how _her_ imperfections has torn his own heart inside out because of her solitary lifestyle. She never knew how much it truly ate away at him, for her selfish mind always thought he would be used to it by now thanks to the amount of years they have known one another, but now she could see it, the sadness and anger that plagued him because of her actions, and it was all her fault.

"Ragna, I..." She grimaced sadly and was about to reach for his face to touch his cheek, but was afraid to do so. She instead drew her hand back and rested it atop their daughter's head, the girl's suckling from her breast slowing down considerably as she steadily started to grow tired. "I'm sorry..." She quietly said. "I'm so sorry..."

Ragna mimicked her earlier silence momentarily, the tension in the air growing thick from the lack of dialogue between the couple before Ragna finally opened his mouth to speak.

His voice was hoarse and fairly shaky. "It's not something that I did, right...?"

Rachel shook her head from side to side vigorously. "No, no, no, of course not! You did nothing wrong..." She gently took her hand out of Ragna's to keep their daughter on her chest with both arms so she could sit up, the vampire wincing visibly when she felt a stabbing sensation between her legs. She tried not to care about the pain however—Rachel determined not to let temporary wounds prevent her from putting Ragna's concerns to rest. "I have not been very straightforward with you about a few things regarding my own...insecurities," She explained. "And I apologize for that. I just... I didn't know that you were affected by it this much until now..."

Ragna's eyes brightened, his body rising to sit besides her on the bed and gaze down anxiously at her. "Then what's the matter?" He rested his hand on her knee and stroked it tentatively. "Tell me."

Rachel swallowed a lump in her throat and looked at both Ragna and their child. "Well, you see, I'm not sure how to word this, but...I haven't been happy, Ragna. Not with you, but with something else..."

"What is it?" Ragna observed Rachel's mannerisms, noticing the way she repeatedly kept switching between staring at him and the little girl in her arms. "You mean..." He felt his heart race, his eyes widening and revealing to Rachel a flurry of emotions that she never knew Ragna could exude. "Y-You... You're not happy about the baby?"

The vampire hid her face under the bangs of her hair, her mouth unable to speak or form any coherent sentences, and rendering Rachel to just nod her head.

"But why?" He asked. "After all this time?"

"I can hardly believe it either..." She stated. "It is difficult to explain, but I feel this sort of emptiness in regards to our child. As if I am detached to her..."

She heard her mate sigh loudly, the man attempting to understand Rachel's problem in full. She supposed that she could not fault him for such behavior—how would any father react if they found out the mother of his child had no affection for it?

"Go on..." He mumbled.

"It's just that..." A lump caught in her throat that prevented her from talking momentarily. "Ever since I first conceived I've always felt like this—so distant and unloving towards the pup's very existence. It's like I still do not want to have anything to do with her, Ragna, and just seeing you so..." She blinked away the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes and put her hand over them so Ragna would not have to see. "Just seeing you so happy to be with her breaks my heart for I never even felt an ounce of emotion towards her besides anger..."

Ragna turned his head toward Rachel when he heard a catch in her voice, and felt his worry go through the roof when he saw a steady trickle of clear liquid slide down the side of her face from the crevice of her hand.

"I'm so scared, Ragna..." She sniffled. "It's a foreign sensation, but I am afraid. I wouldn't know what to do if I continued to not love our child..." She let the tears freely fall and sobbed as discreetly as possible. "Especially if we are never able to protect her... What if our efforts are in vain? What if I never come to terms with myself? What if—"

"Rachel..." Ragna interrupted her ramblings by cupping her cheek and moving her hand away from her eyes. The vampire stared up at him in shock, her lip quivering and dark garnet pools shining under the dim candlelight of her room as he used his thumb to wipe her tears away. "Calm down for me..."

"B-But I—" The vampire tried opening her mouth once more but was hushed by Ragna.

"Look..." He whispered. "If this is all caused by you being a little scared, it's okay to feel like that, Rachel. And at a time like this, it's perfectly fine." The criminal mustered up the strength to smile softly at Rachel to try and make her feel better, the curve of his lips sweet and genuine and holding a sort of gentleness that the older woman barely if ever saw. "I'm scared, too. I don't think that I'm dad material or a perfect role model for our kid, but I'm willing to try if not for your sake. I love you too much **not** to do that. But as for you..." He stopped for a minute before continuing, trying to think of the right words to say. "If you really didn't love her, you wouldn't have pulled through the pregnancy so well. I don't remember a day when you said that you _didn't_ want to have the baby, so there has to be some sorta affection you have for her, right?"

Rachel listened to his words and did nothing more. She loved Ragna more than anything in this world—more than life itself—but was there a chance that this small, infantile creature, can be even put on the same pedestal of adoration she had towards her lover? The idea however currently sounded as farfetched as an enemy _**not**_ finding out about their pup's birth in her head, but it certainly did not sound impossible by any means now that she thought about it a little more.

"I suppose..." She rubbed at her face to get rid of more of the wetness that clung to her skin while still hanging her head low.

"Hey, you know that we're both new to this, and it's gonna take awhile before we get used to it all, but we'll pull through." He brought his arm around her shoulder. "This is just stress and shit getting to your head and not making you think clear. Of course you're going to love her, and like hell I'd ever abandon you two if a threat ever came our way. Do you understand?"

Rachel chewed through his words and looked at him through the bangs of her hair sheepishly. Even though his reassurance lifted the weight of the world off of her shoulders momentarily, her mind was still flooded with doubts and uncertainties—anxiety and worriment. She still felt petrified of the future and was blind to the possibilities that laid before her, and if there was one thing that she detested the most out of everything in this world, it would have to be the mere feeling of hopelessness that would wash over her when she had no idea about what to do with herself or others. She has never felt this clueless about anything in years until now, but at the very least she'll now make a conscious effort to love the pup—as egocentric as it was, it will be the most that she'll do for her daughter until she either gets over herself or allow her emotional distress to take over her mental state with each succeeding week.

"Alright..." Rachel uttered. "I understand..."

"It's okay, baby." He leaned in close to kiss her ear. "Just...I don't want any more secrets between us anymore. You can tell me anything that's bothering you, and I'll try and help, 'kay?"

The vampire nodded and made the other look at her. "No more secrets. I promise you, nothing but honesty."

Ragna seemed pleased with her answer for now and wrapped his muscled arms around his mate's small to pull her in a tight hug, the criminal making sure not to crush their pup under the weight of his body. "I'm happy to hear that. Thank you." He grinned.

Rachel stiffened at the embrace for a minute or so, the hug shifting her body and making the vampire painstakingly aware of not only the pain in her privates, but also how clammy and smelly she was from the night's birth in comparison to Ragna's fresh scent. She knew that he probably didn't necessarily care about touching her in such an unhygienic state, but she could not help herself—she felt dirty and disgusting, and it reminded her that she needed to be in water as soon as possible.

The criminal became aware of her dilemma, judging from how tense she was in his arms, and let go of her to ask her, "What's the matter?"

"I wish to take a bath," She said calmly. "I am in need of one."

Ragna inspected her and then their daughter momentarily, noting how Rachel still looked somewhat rumpled while the tiny girl in her arms was a tad pink from the traces of blood that still blotched her skin. He guessed a bath wouldn't hurt given the situation.

"Alright then," Ragna stepped out of the coffin to stand. "I'll go run the water for you two."

Rachel nodded in thanks and threw the covers off of her legs to shimmy out of the tall casket with pup in hand, but hissed when she felt pins and needles assault her insides.

Ragna saw this and chided her gently. "Slow down..." He warned. "Doesn't it hurt when you move around like that?"

"...A little." She replied.

"Hold on..." Ragna bent over and brought one arm under the crease of Rachel's knees and the other around her back to lift her up in the air and hold her against his chest. "Is that better?"

"Yes." The vampire instinctively kept their newborn tucked securely in her arms out of fear that she may or may not fall, and gave the young male a knowing look. She forgot what it felt like to be carried by Ragna since it has been nearly half a year since he's done it last, and she can readily say that she's missed the feeling.

She rested her head flush against his chest and huffed through her nose as he took her towards her lavatory, his foot pushing the cracked door open to get them inside before closing it with minimal force so as not to wake their slumbering child. He then walked to the large porcelain tub situated in the middle of the room to lower Rachel inside of it, Ragna being careful not to cause her any harm as he did so.

"You're a lot heavier than I remember you being," He joked as he reached for the tub's handle to turn the water on, attempting to liven up the mood between the two. "Did someone gain a little extra weight when I wasn't looking?"

"Shut your trap," Rachel barked. "It was the girl's weight that you felt as well along with mine."

"Yeah, she's a little big for a newborn, but I don't think it was her weighing me down." He retorted. "Those super weird cravings you had months back finally did you dirty."

"Always the one to ruin the mood, aren't you?" She raised her nose in the air and peered at Ragna from the corner of her eye. "And here I was going to ask you to join me, but I see that you have successfully changed my mind."

The criminal laughed and pinched her cheek much to the other's chagrin. "Aw, you know I'm kidding."

Rachel watched Ragna casually strip himself of his shirt, hakama, and underwear before climbing into the tub himself, the young man crawling behind Rachel so she could use him for support just in case she didn't have the energy to keep herself upright. The couple stayed like that for awhile, neither of them wakeful enough to carry on with a conversation, but not tired enough to simply enjoy each other's presence. Rachel had shut the water off once it reached a certain level and started cleaning their daughter's body while Ragna played with his mate's blonde hair, the young man lost in thought about something that has been plaguing his mind for quite some time now.

"What are we gonna name her?" He asked suddenly.

Rachel glanced over her shoulder to peer up at him. "Hm?"

"The baby. We don't have a name for her yet."

The ghoul thought it over for a moment and frowned. Even when she first conceived she could not even fathom the idea of bequeathing her child with a name without tearing her hair out, and so, as a result, never really bothered thinking about exactly what she would ever address it by.

"We shall think of one in due time..." She simply said. "It is not as if she needs one right away."

"Well, I don't want to call her just "baby" all fucking day." Ragna countered. "C'mon, we gotta think of something while we're in here."

Rachel heard Ragna hum in concentration before blurting out the first thing that came to his mind. "Betsy."

She wasted no time shooting down his response. "No."

"Really?"

"No offspring of mine is going to have such an ugly sounding name." She deadpanned. "That is a sobriquet that is given to cattle." As indifferent as she was towards her, she'd sooner die than ever call her daughter something so foolish.

" **I** thought that it was decent..." Ragna grumbled and suggested another. "Okay... How about "Nancy?""

"No."

"Not even that? Um...Diamond?"

"No." That sounded more like a harlot's moniker than an actual name.

"Roxy?"

"No."

"Petunia?"

"No..."

"I don't fucking know... Uh, La...Que...sha—"

" **Definitely not.** "

"Well, I'm running out of ideas here! You try and think of something for a change!"

Rachel rolled her eyes and contemplated whether or not to pretend to think of a name, but decided against it. Perhaps actually thinking of one for her daughter would help in getting her to actually love her more. It probably will not be by a lot, but at least marginally so. She eyed the little girl in question when she heard her let out a tiny whine, her now lily white skin glistening under the candlelight that reflected off her soaked body and cherub-like face squished against her mother's bosom as she slept without a care in the world. She was practically the paragon of innocence and virtue in Ragna's eyes and acted as the key to the destruction of their lives by merely existing in Rachel's.

The vast dissimilarities between her and Ragna's viewpoints of the young child reminded her of a tale she heard when she herself was young pup—centuries upon centuries ago when she mingled around humans for the first time. It was during a period when her homeland of Transylvania was an extremely moralistic and religious region of Romania, the townspeople with devout faith in their beliefs and ready to burn anyone who seemed to be associated with the Devil at the stake given the opportunity. She had to be about a few decades old then, not even the slightest bit old enough to understand what went on around her, and could easily remember the times when the local school children she was forced to socialize with on the occasion when her father was away would talk about the many lessons they learned in church that day. Some would talk about the scripture they read in class that day, some about a few new toys that they got the privilege to play with, and a few about stories that they heard older adults discuss in private, but nothing that would really pique her interest. Rachel would always be too absorbed in books to really care about what went on around her, so she rarely if at all paid attention to the other children's drivel. But one day, for some arbitrary reason or another, she could recall how one child was talking about this one particular story that his priest lectured to him and his classmates about during a prayer circle.

The story was about a tall and beautiful woman with long curly auburn hair and large almond-shaped eyes. Her skin was as white as the snow that fell to the ground and as bleached as the clouds that hung in the sky while her shapely body, curvy and buxom, was framed under almost every article of clothing that she wore whether it be ivory fleece or red satin. The woman was a wise one indeed, and knew of how enchanting her own beauty was to many and never wasted a moment's notice to flaunt her looks and use it for her own advantage. She eventually became a very sinful woman as a result, her ways of exploiting her face and body eventually leading her to become a prostitute later on in life and forcing her to become a grave sinner as a result. She was the spitting image of temptation to many, and men, women, and children alike considered the woman and her hedonistic lifestyle to be a means of the end of her town's way of life—they believed her existence alone would be enough for God to exact His punishment on them all because her presence alone risked the Devil and his servants to wreak havoc on their once humble christian town.

The townsmen thought that the woman was of no good to stay and had planned to either drive her out of the village or kill her immediately to avoid His wrath, but on the day they had tried to carry out with their task, His supposed son had entered their settlement called Magdala, and upon meeting the woman, she had anointed his feet with an expensive perfume out of generosity which had saved the town from punishment. As a reward, she was forgiven for her sins, was appointed as one of the son's apostles, and had brought her town glad tidings because of her deed. Rachel was never able to remember the name of that woman since such a minute detail was always at the back of her head, but, as if out of nowhere, it suddenly came back to her at full force.

Mary, she believed she was called.

Mary Magdalene.

The vampire closed her eyes and mulled it over. It was a simple enough message that even a child would understand about how bad things could lead to more fortunate circumstances, but still... With such an unexpected and semi-unwanted arrival, would she really be that much of a benefit towards them than a detriment for them?

She glowered and gave him her suggestion.

"Magdalene."

"Hm?" Ragna's ears perked when he heard her response.

"Magdalene. Is that an appropriate name?"

"Magdalene, huh?" He mulled over the name momentarily and said it under his breath repeatedly to get a feel of the word on his tongue and smiled when he did. "I like it... Magdalene..." His eyes lit up when he thought of a nickname for the tiny thing. "We can call her Maggie! Good ol' Maggie!"

Rachel unconsciously smoothed through her pup's hair with wet fingers as she tuned out Ragna once more and further contemplated the moral behind that story. It ironically captured how different Rachel and Ragna's views on the child were: she was bad luck to her and she was the greatest thing that could ever happen to him. Giving her the name of "Magdalene" is fitting enough for their situation, and, well...

If Magdalene failed in ever making her feel merry about her arrival at least she will be more than enough to make Ragna happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating at the speed of light ~ ﾟ°˖* ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
> 
> Time to get crunk off apple cider and play with pogs like the cool kid I am tonight.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow this was infuriating to write. I had to re-write this thing three times because of some continuity errors that I did and some confusion involving Rachel and her feelings towards her baby. The next chapter is also gonna be a doozy to write.


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